A surreal faceoff

Updated 12:29 am, Sunday, January 26, 2014

Union head coach Rick Bennett, left, and RPI head coach Seth Appert, at right, are pulled apart by a referee and RPI's #17 Milos Bubela during a bench clearing brawl after RPI beat Union for the Mayor's Cup at the Times Union Center Saturday Jan. 25, 2014, in Albany, NY. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union) less

Union head coach Rick Bennett, left, and RPI head coach Seth Appert, at right, are pulled apart by a referee and RPI's #17 Milos Bubela during a bench clearing brawl after RPI beat Union for the Mayor's Cup at ... more

So let's go ahead and call the melee that punctuated RPI's 2-1 win over Union for what it was — kind of fun.

How'd it start?

Who knows?

There were 1.7 seconds left in the game, and the RPI hockey team was on the edge of its bench, ready to celebrate the Mayor's Cup like it was the Stanley Cup. I don't blame them. The Dutchmen had beaten the Engineers 10 consecutive games, giving the Route 7 Rivalry a Globetrotter-Generals kind of feel lately.

So when the Engineers won the final draw and the horn sounded, the whole RPI roster spilled onto the ice.

Next thing 7,100 fans at Times Union center knew, there were sticks and gloves and fists flying everywhere, and the players were earning a total of 125 penalty minutes.

It's hockey. Stuff happens. Players fight.

But here's where the scene turned surreal: Union coach Rick Bennett came onto the ice and started yelling at RPI coach Seth Appert. Bennett, a noted tough guy who dropped his gloves now and again during his professional career, got within a couple steps of Appert and had his right arm cocked. Only the intervening players and referees averted a fist fight.

(Side note: Appert's hair never moved.)

What Bennett was so upset about, he wouldn't say. But one can reasonably assume it had something to do with the fact that entire RPI team was on the ice during the fight, while only the six Union players who finished the last shift still were there. It was something like 20-on-6.

Bennett probably saved a full-roster brawl by keeping his team on its bench, so good for him.

And in fairness to Appert, it's not like he sent his team onto the ice to pick a fight. The Engineers left the bench intending to celebrate when the proverbial stick hit the fan.

In hockey, this is what passes for a misunderstanding.

And I must say, hockey misunderstandings are pretty entertaining.

Of course, there are some unfortunate parts of this whole thing, most notably that the players never shook hands. Both teams lined up, ready to give the end-of-game custom a go, but Bennett ordered the Dutchmen off the ice. He said later he wasn't being a poor sport, just trying to prevent another fight.

"RPI deserved that win," Bennett said. "They played very hard. We did want to shake hands. That just wasn't the time to do it, not right then."

The fight also overshadowed RPI's best win in a good long time. The Mayor's Cup game doesn't count in the ECAC standings, but if the Engineers (10-10-4 overall, 4-5-3 ECAC) want to get their season on the right track, their own backyard is as good a place to start as any.

And both teams will be facing additional discipline. Four players are automatically disqualified for the next game: RPI's Mike Zalewski and Luke Curadi as well as Union's Eli Lichtenwald and Mat Bodie. The coaches — especially Bennett — could be disciplined by the league and their schools, too. Both apologized profusely after the game.

"I'm embarrassed about my actions," said Bennett, who then offered apologies to his players, RPI's players, the athletic directors, the fans, the school presidents, the Pope and probably a few others I'm leaving out.

Appert, likewise, said he was sorry and went out of his way to add, "I have nothing but respect for Rick Bennett. He's a great coach and a great man."

Appert pointed out that he once fought his best friend during his college days at Ferris State. Hockey's funny that way. They're still best friends. Probably he and Bennett never will be, but that's OK. The rivalry is more fun this way.